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It was a long time coming, but the Faena Hotel + Universe finally opened its blood-red, triple-height, stained-glass doors at the end of last year, the result of a highly successful coupling of Argentine fashion designer and entrepreneur Alan Faena and Philippe Starck. Housed in a seven-storey former grain silo built in 1902 in Puerto Madero, the regenerated docklands area, the Faena's style is far more lavish and comfortable than Starck's work for Ian Schrager, fusing imperial opulence with contemporary extravagance. It features red- and gold-velvet drapes, crystal chandeliers, lapacho-wood and pale sandstone flooring, etched glass, modern
rococo-style furnishings and 18-carat-gold swan chairs. The 'Universe'
- two restaurants, an elegant living room, a cabaret, an academy (offering classes from tango to cookery), a hammam, gym, spa, and a superb outdoor pool and terrace - has
already become the playground of the international jet set and pretty porteņos. While room rates, mini-bar and laundry are charged in US dollars, everything else is in pesos, which means that living the high life is as cheap as chips. Each guest is assigned an 'Experience Manager' and team, so you only ever dial one number for everything from restaurant recommendations and booking (and, boy, do they know Buenos Aires) to room service and housekeeping. There are plans to open a second, smaller Universe in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro.
WHEN TO GO
BA is at its liveliest in summer (November-February)
ROOM TO BOOK
Room 502 for superb views of the city skyline
CONTACT
Faena Hotel + Universe, Martha
Salotti 445, Buenos Aires, Argentina (00 54 11 4010 9000; fax: 4010 9001; www.faenahotelanduniverse.com). Doubles from US$300
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